


The Best Laid Plans

by SueN



Category: The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Gen, Magnificent Seven AU: ATF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-10
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2020-02-29 12:23:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18778228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SueN/pseuds/SueN
Summary: Written for a VinList Ezra Fic Challenge.Ezra's day doesn't go to plan.





	The Best Laid Plans

Opening his eyes with a sigh, Ezra blinked against the sunlight streaming through the blinds and felt a momentary rush of panic. Had he overslept? Again? Reaching for the nightstand, he picked up his watch and focused still sleepy eyes on the mother of pearl face. 8:32! Good lord, even by his standards that was rather more than fashionably late!

Glaring at his obviously dysfunctional alarm clock, he was about to throw back the covers, poised for headlong flight to the bathroom, when his eyes strayed to the flashing day symbol. Sa... Saturday! Sinking back onto the pillow, he closed his eyes in contentment. Saturday…. bliss.

Saturday meant no alarm, no early shower, no rushing out the door with just a half cup of Douwe Egberts' fine blend to sustain him, no ribald comments on his tardiness from his colleagues, no reprimand and accompanying glare from their leader... nowhere he had to be, and nothing he had to do. 

Saturday meant getting up in his own time, brewing a full pot of coffee, safe in the knowledge that he could enjoy it at his leisure, preparing a full breakfast and having the time to chew it before swallowing. Being able to read the paper from front page to back, pausing to complete the crossword, and ponder the thought of the day, no matter how inane it might be. Taking the whole day to read a book, or listen to his opera collection, or simply do nothing if he chose.  
Even the customary Saturday dinner and game night at Chris' ranch was cancelled this week. Chris had been sent on a Health and Safety course, under threat of dismissal if he failed to attend again, Josiah had booked into a spiritual retreat for a weekend of questioning his, and everyone else's faith, and Nathan was spending some quality time with his paramour. 

Vin, Buck and JD all had plans. They'd each invited him to join them but unsurprisingly the offers of hiking and camping with Vin, computer gaming with JD or, most horrifying of all, a double date with Buck had failed to tempt him away from his planned evening of peace and solitude. 

Burrowing deeper under the covers, Ezra dozed and considered his options, the day seeming to stretch out endlessly before him.... 

*******  
Somewhere in the distance a 'phone was ringing. Ezra tried to ignore it but the noise became louder, more insistent, and was accompanied by a buzzing, vibrating sound, as if an exceptionally large fly was trapped inside a glass bottle. Reluctantly sliding an arm out from under the covers, he reached for his cell.

"Standish.... yes.. well, no, I was... what?... how?... yes, of course... I'm on my way."

Instantly awake, peace and solitude forgotten, Ezra threw aside the covers and made a bathroom pit stop before pulling on designer jeans and shirt, shrugging into a tan suede jacket and grabbing his cell phone, keys and watch from the nightstand. Dragging a hand through his bed-head hair, he ran barefoot down the stairs, slipping into a pair of leather loafers before bolting through the front door and impatiently locking it behind him. Seconds later, the Jaguar roared into life as he gunned the engine and sped away.

*******  
Raising the glass to his lips, Ezra took a sip of the aged scotch and welcomed the reassuring warmth as it slipped down his throat. Rolling the glass in his hands, he watched the amber liquid swirl around and reflected on the events of the day.

8:32am, that’s when his day had begun and glancing at his watch, he was surprised to see that more than twelve hours had passed. 

The day hadn’t played out quite as he’d envisaged… his fine blend coffee had been replaced with lukewarm sludge in a plastic cup; breakfast, and lunch, had consisted of cardboard-bread sandwiches with undefined fillings, wrapped in more plastic, and his feather bed had been exchanged for a back breakingly uncomfortable chair, plastic of course, in the ubiquitous hospital waiting room.

And now, despite their plans to the contrary, he and his team-mates were congregated at the ranch, six of them keeping watch over their injured seventh and giving thanks for another lucky escape. 

Hearing the door creak behind him and a familiar footfall on the deck, Ezra scooted along to make room on the step.

“Hell of a day,” Chris sighed, refilling Ezra’s glass from the bottle he held in his hand.

“Not quite the one I had planned.” Ezra agreed.

“Could have been a lot worse.”

“Indeed.

Raising glass and bottle, both men took a long drink. 

“So, what’ve you got planned for tomorrow?”

~~~


End file.
